He might as well have announced he was making a new movie. The response is so what. Reiner’s gone into deep hiding from the press, the details of the scandalous financing of the $23 million “up, up with preschool” campaign the First Five coffers funded in late ’05 nad early ’06 are dribblign out, state legislatos are demanding answers, and Arnold is hearing from the base that he’s got to fire Reiner.

Today’s Times story gets a crucial detailk correct, one which it had wrong in its first story on the subject:

Gov. Gray Davis appointed Reiner as chairman in 1999. Reiner’s term has expired. As with some other holdover appointees from the Davis years, Schwarzenegger has not moved to replace him. A spokesman for the governor did not comment on Reiner’s letter.

So Reiner is Arnold’s guy, pure and simple. Until he’s not.

Democrat Steve Westley hurt his bid for Arnold’s chair, though, bghy acting like any other Dem pol when it comes to Hollywod heavyweights:

Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Glendale), a candidate for state controller, urged Controller Steve Westly to audit the commission, citing concerns that the panel had used tax money to aid the preschool initiative. Tony Strickland, a Republican also running for controller, called for an audit earlier this week.

So both leading candidates for controller want Reiner’s taxpayer funded $240 million dollar fund audited, and the Democratic incumbent who wants to be governor says no even as the Republican governor keeps Reiner in the job that Reiner has to take a leave from.